Last night, Manchester City faced Red Star Belgrade in a UEFA Champions League match without an injured Erling Haaland. However, it is safe to say that his absence has not affected the reigning UCL champions. In a stunning debut, 20-year-old winger Micah Hamilton gave City the lead within 20 minutes. An experienced attacker for Manchester City’s youth team since 2013, the youngster delivered on the big stage without any inhibition. Let’s dive into the 20-year-old’s performances with the club’s academy teams and England’s U-16 team, which made him a well-known face at the club.

Born in 2003 in Manchester, Micah Philipe Jude Hamilton joined the Cityzens Academy at the age of 9. What does his goal tally look like in the last 10 years?

Micah Hamilton’s stats for Manchester City and England’s youth teams

Micah Hamilton debuted for Manchester City’s U-18 team in the 2018-19 season. He managed to play only one match and could not score a goal. In the 2019-20 season, the youngster faced the same result, playing one game without scoring. However, the 2020-21 season saw Hamilton’s full breakthrough in the U-18 side. He played 23 matches and added 11 goals and eight assists to his tally. The next season, he played three matches, scoring a goal. The same season he received City’s U-19 team call-up and played three matches, failing to score once.

However, Hamilton started for Manchester City’s U-23 team in the same 2021-22 season, scoring and assisting once in six appearances. Later, the English forward played for the club’s U-21 team in the 2022-23 and 23-24 seasons. The 2022-23 season saw nine appearances, three goals, and an assist from the starlet. In the 2023-24 season, he played in nine matches, failing to score once, but assisting five times. Micah Hamilton donned his country’s colors in 2021, playing for England’s U-16 team. Then, he managed three appearances without scoring a goal.

Hamilton’s prior interaction with Pep Guardiola

While delivering for Manchester City’s youth teams, Micah Hamilton had also spent time on the sidelines during the senior team’s matches. Then a teenager, the Englishman served as a ballboy. During a 2017 match, Pep Guardiola himself confronted the youngster and gave him some advice. During the match, all the ball boys were a bit slow. Hence, Guardiola might have indeed asked young Hamilton to speed up on the sidelines.

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola Confirms Date of Erling Haaland’s Return From Injury

Today, that ball boy has indeed come a long way. After last night, Pep Guardiola would also have a smile on his face while reminiscing back to when he advised him as a ballboy. After all, Pep Guardiola and Co. are now on the verge of bearing the fruit of another academy product.

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